Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-17
NINE LIVES INDEED.
STILL FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT CATS ARK
PECULIAR BEASTS.
Wsri Experiences Of New York Man Who haa
Hsar-Weird Experiences Of q New
York Cat Who Had Persistence.
N6P York Tines.


IL was q salute tnat Was uaii "e"'
the shadow of a four-story building Oh
Middagh street, Brooklyn, q few minutes
prior to one of the coolest midnights OF the
late cold winter, Mary Anderson stood sad
and shiyering as she walled her misery
upward 10 Benedict and his wife
Mary Anderson, as she was later
named, was the blacklist OF all black
cats. She had not a white hair, even
among her whiskers. Benedict and Ms
wife are kind hearted. In addition
ia that, though very intelligent, they are
no less amenable to the influence of the
ocult than other people. The thought In
stantly occurred to them that from Sesos'
iris, of Egypt, 10 Edgar Allan Poe, Of VAR
GINA, many peerers into the lnscrutao'e
have become assured that the black ea,
and Old Nick are on interchangeable terms oil
smity and alliance. Consequently they
were good to Mary Anderson. They said,
spontaneously, but independently:
Here, kitty"
Come here, kitty"
Pretty kitty"
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty"
To all Of which Mary Anderson respond,
ed with a frowning, searching glance and
then evolved deep down in the deepest
minor register of her fiddle strings a Sec
ond plaintive, but determined, "m-i-a-e'
o-u-w-w-w.'
That settled it. She rubbed her nose
against Benedict's %pantaloons and blew up
her tail in an affectionate trust. When
they started for home she started. When
they got there she got there. When they
locked the door she took up quarters for
the night on the mat. The most remark
able thing among the many remarkable
qualities of this story is that it is absolute
" true in every particular.
In the morning the cook opened the door
and Mary conquered her at a glance. The
cook is a gelatinous person with a tender
heart. II was great luck in her eyes for a
black cat to come TO the house, and nothing
would have induced the cook to send her
away. Mary did not show up very we'll by
daylight. She was a little hrownish ia
places, and was wearing her last years inr
coat, and besides seemed to have strayed a
long way from her once happy state rs a
thoughtless girl, to whom late hours, the
area fagstones, and the tin roof, were dis
sipations all unknown. In the cooks
eyes she had no fault. however. She be
came a fixture, and when Mrs. Benedict
discovered her that afternoon, comfortably
curled up in front of the stove she meaow-
I'd patronizingly at her mistress, rs if quite
assured that her position rs permanent
guest was unassailable. For n time, there
fore Mrs. Benedict accepted the situation.
Cats are very peculiar beasts. All the
barbaric nations worship them, and per
haps civilized people would not make q
mistake in doing likewise. They have
powers of their own and communicate IN
a fashion distinctly feline. Fol-
instance, Mary Anderson had not
been three hours III the neigh
borhood before every cat, male and female,
in the vicinity within a radius of half a
dozen blocks WAS fully aware of it. When
Benedict left his home at , o'clock he
found one of them on the front steps and
two on the sidewalk peering up at the
front windows. Across the street another
was peekiug ont of an alleyway like a de-
~tective ~shadowing the house. Down at the
corner two of them, who appeared TO be
exchanging important news, climbed
through Il sidewalk grating ~ he
approached as if fearful of be-
ing overheard. That night there
was a cat concert, a serenade TO the new
conner, of rare and artistic completeness
Mary had been instructed that she was to
remain III the house at night, but upon go
ing To the second story window To bow her
thanks, after q lortissimo passage OF un-
usual energy, she saw 4 water pipe, from
the root, within easy reach, put her arms
round it aud slid To the ground. Then Mary
Joined the choir. Mary had an unusual
voice. 1t was powerful, but entirely un-
trained. One was inclined to think that
the mezzo notes of her middle register
were the most powerful until she twanged
her high c mandolin string and held on
for u terrible half minute. Then the
bearer shuddered as he thought what dead,
" things the feline voice was capable OF.
Mary's voice was worse than her claws. She
could put a wire edge on 1t.
When, through the exigencies Of a
Brooklyn career, they were con
pelled 10 change her name to
Queen Victoria, Mrs. Benedict revolt.
ed. She had u mothers heart, bat
she could not have her house turned into
a half orphans home, particularly as the
kittens were made of india rubber, and
you couldn't kill one with an axe. They
were fireproof, waterproof and indestructi'
BILE. Benedict and his wife were unhappy
The house swarmed %exteriorly with cats.
The roof was given over TO Sheepahead
Bay races, walking matches. "scrapping'
tournaments, gravel scratching, and every
thing else that cats conld think of, from
sunset to sunrise. Consequently the fiat
went forth. Queen Victoria must 20.
1t quickly appeared, however, that this
was easier to say than to achieve. Veto
ria's first trip was with a peddler. She
went over into the Williamsburg distric,
and was back in precisely two hours. Hel
ecOnd exit was with a vegetable garden
er, who agreed TO drown her, and probably
did SO, for he was an honest man. Sh.
did not reappear until the following fore
noon, and then she vas quite damp. Hel
third companion was a small boy, who
took her down to South Brooklyn, and
then, being of q humorous turn o
mind, threw her into q quick
lime box where they were mixinl
mortar. II was hard, however, 10 throw
Victoria anywhere with any degree OF sccu
racy. You couldn't curve her worth n cent
She seemed to surmise that the less she in
dulged in the pleasure Of being q projectil.
the better il would be for her genera
health. Consequently she landed on tb,
edge of the mortar box and only touched
the lime with her tail. She appeared {,
feel the result keenly, however, and
started for home with some signs OF haste
At first she seemed disturbed and I'M
certain and IAN several ways Al
once, saying q great deal about the mortar
Then, like q carrier pigeon, she got her di'
~rection snd instantly assumed the velocity
Of a bullet. Reliable Observer declare
that her whizz was audible. When SD,
got home the cook burst into tears. Vic
toria's tail was without hair. From q
thing of beauty and a joy forever it had be
come like a piece Of tarred rope. Victoris
felt badly herself about it aud carried
the bone the cook gave her up into the
Eon n.lo. "a nn. 70 nm thf